Consensus and Debate in Salazar's Portugal

Consensus and Debate in Salazar's Portugal examines the complex relationship between art and state propaganda during the Estado Novo regime. This history and criticism volume analyzes how the Office of State Propaganda under António de Oliveira Salazar promoted a traditionalist image of the nation through events like the 1940 Exposition of the Portuguese-Speaking World. Ellen W Sapega utilizes memory studies and visual culture to explore the tension between official state narratives and the actual social fabric of Portugal from 1933 to 1948.

The text focuses on the intellectual life and political aspects of arts by following the work of José de Almada Negreiros, Irene Lisboa, and Baltasar Lopes. These figures challenged conservative metaphors of Lusophone identity through Portuguese literature and visual arts. By rewriting the national text, these authors proposed alternatives to the government's rigid views on Portuguese national characteristics and social life.